The Philippines’ international tourist arrivals are on an upward trend, tallying over 6.8 million visitors for another double-digit rise for the first ten months of the year.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the total of 6,800,052 visitors from January to October 2019 was equivalent to an impressive 15.04 percent increase from the 5,911,161 arrivals for the same period last year.
For the first ten months, Korea still tops the list of foreign arrivals with a total of 1,609,172 arrivals, that’s a gain of +21.75%. This number is expected to further improve following the signing of the tourism cooperation program between the Philippines and Korea.
China came in second with 1,499,524, which is a surge of +41.13% followed by the US in third place with 872,335, a small gain of +2.53% for the ten-month period.
Japan remained fourth in the list with 569,625, an increase of +7.43%, followed by Taiwan, with a record of 282,220, a rise of +36.77% completing the top five markets.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat attributed the encouraging figures to the improved air connectivity, intensified marketing promotions including the refreshed “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, budding relations with other countries, as well as the growing recognition of the country’s sustainable tourism advocacy.
On top of the growing tourist arrivals, the Philippines won back-to-back diving awards at the World Travel Awards in Muscat, Oman.
The country bested eight other global dive destinations namely Azores Islands, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Maldives, and Mexico, after copping Asia’s Leading Dive Destination from the regional edition.
“The collective efforts and resolve of the whole tourism industry have paid off with the continued increase in our visitor arrivals and tourism receipts as well as recognition from major international award-giving bodies,” Puyat enthused.
SEND cheers to the Philippines’ tourism sector for the new milestone!
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